HELENA – Helena Police confirmed that officers arrested a Helena female after a car chase Monday morning.

HPD released a statement Monday afternoon that said around 10:27 a.m. the school resource officer from Capital High School notified police of a reckless driver outside of the building driving on the sidewalk near Valley Drive.

The officer located and attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the 44-year-old driver fled. A chase began north down Green Meadow Drive to Lincoln Road.

Lewis and Clark County deputies and troopers from Montana Highway Patrol began to assist in stopping the vehicle. HPD reported that speeds reached up to 85 mph.

The chase continued east down Lincoln Road and then south on Montana Avenue.

HPD deployed spike strips near Forestvale and North Montana Avenue. The driver hit the spikes and drove through the Helena Trap Club property before heading north again on Montana Avenue.

An MHP trooper was able to hit the vehicle, pushing it off the road, effectively stopping the chase.

The driver was arrested just north of the trap club.

The name of the suspect has not been released yet.

HPD said she has been charged with two counts of Criminal Endangerment, Reckless Driving, Fleeing/Eluding a Peace Officer, Driving with a Suspended Driver’s License, 1st offense Driving Under the Influence and Obstructing a Peace Officer.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A gunman on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas hotel-casino rained heavy fire down on a crowd of over 22,000 at an outdoor country music festival, turning the expanse into a killing field from which there was little escape. At least 58 people died.

It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. At least 515 people were injured.

The FBI discounted the possibility of international terrorism, even after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. But beyond that, the motive remained a mystery, with Sheriff Joseph Lombardo saying: “I can’t get into the mind of a psychopath at this point.”

Concertgoers screamed and ran for their lives Sunday night outside the 44-story Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino after hearing what at first sounded like firecrackers but turned out to be dozens of bullets in rapid-fire bursts, perhaps from an automatic weapon.

SWAT teams using explosives stormed the gunman’s hotel room in the gold-colored glass skyscraper and found he had killed himself. The attacker,Stephen Craig Paddock, a 64-year-old retiree from Mesquite, Nevada, had as many as 10 guns with him, including rifles.

Country music star Jason Aldean was performing at the Route 91 Harvest Festival when the gunman apparently used a hammer-like device to smash out windows in his room and opened fire, the muzzle flashes visible in the dark, authorities said.

The crowd, funneled tightly into a wide-open space, had little cover and no easy way to escape. Some victims fell to the ground, while others fled in panic. Some hid behind concession stands. Others crawled under parked cars.

After the first burst of gunfire, the music stopped, Aldean left the stage, and many of those in the crowd looked on in confusion. Then the shooting resumed about half a minute later.

“It was the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” said Kodiak Yazzie, 36. “You could hear that the noise was coming from west of us, from Mandalay Bay. You could see a flash, flash, flash, flash.”

Monique Dumas, of British Columbia, Canada, said she was six rows from the stage when she heard what she thought was a bottle breaking, then a popping that sounded to her like fireworks.

Couples held hands as they ran through the dirt lot. Faces were etched with shock and confusion, and people wept and screamed. Some were bloodied, and some were carried out by fellow concertgoers. Dozens of ambulances took away the wounded, while some people loaded victims into their cars and drove them to the hospital.

Some of the injured were hit by shrapnel. Others were trampled in the mass panic.

The shooter appeared to fire unhindered for more than 10 minutes as Las Vegas police frantically tried to locate the man in one of the Mandalay Bay hotel towers, according to radio traffic. For several minutes, officers could not tell whether the fire was coming from Mandalay Bay or the neighboring Luxor hotel.

Investigators gave few details on the weapons used but reported over the radio that they were faced with fully automatic fire.

In an address to the country, President Donald Trump called the attack “an act of pure evil” and added: “In moments of tragedy and horror, America comes together as one. And it always has.” He ordered flags flown at half-staff.

Hospital emergency rooms were jammed with the wounded. Rep. Ruben Kihuen, a Democrat whose congressional district includes part of Las Vegas, visited a hospital and said: “Literally, every single bed was being used, every single hallway was being used. Every single person there was trying to save a life.”

Las Vegas authorities put out a call for blood donations and set up a hotline to report missing people and speed the identification of the dead and wounded. They also opened a “family reunification center” for people to find loved ones.

The dead included at least three off-duty police officers from various departments who were attending the concert, authorities said. Two on-duty officers were wounded, one critically, police said.

“It’s a devastating time,” the sheriff said.

In its claim of responsibility, the Islamic State group said the gunman was “a soldier” who had converted to Islam months ago. But it provided no evidence.

And FBI agent Aaron Rouse said investigators had seen nothing so far to connect the attack to any international terror organization.

The Islamic State has been known to make unsubstantiated claims of responsibility for attacks around the world.

It previously said it was responsible for a June attack on a Manila casino and shopping complex where 37 died, mostly from smoke inhalation — a claim rejected by authorities, who said the lone attacker was a heavily indebted Filipino gambling addict.

The sheriff said authorities believe the Las Vegas bloodbath was a “lone wolf” attack but want to talk to Paddock’s roommate, a woman Lombardo said was out of the country at the time of the attack.

Lombardo said a check of federal and state databases showed the gunman was not on law enforcement authorities’ radar before the bloodbath.

Paddock lived in a retirement community, owned rental properties, held a private pilot’s license and liked to travel to Las Vegas to play high-stakes video poker.

As for why he went on the murderous rampage, his brother in Florida, Eric Paddock, told reporters: “I can’t even make something up. There’s just nothing.”

While Paddock appeared to have no criminal history, his father was a bank robber who was on the FBI’s most-wanted list after escaping from prison in Texas in the 1960s.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said the Sunday night attack was the work of a “crazed lunatic full of hate.”

Interstate 15 was briefly closed, and flights at McCarran International Airport were suspended for a while.

Nearly every inch of the Las Vegas Strip is under video surveillance, much of it set up by the casinos to monitor their properties. That could yield a wealth of material for investigators.

Hours after the shooting, Aldean posted on Instagram that he and his crew were safe and that the shooting was “beyond horrific.”

“It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night,” the country star said.

Before Sunday, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history took place in June 2016, when a gunman who professed support for Muslim extremist groups opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people.

A suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, killed 22 people in May. Almost 90 people were killed in 2015 at a concert in Paris by gunmen inspired by the Islamic State.

___

This story has been corrected to give the right spelling for the last name of Kodiak Yazzie and show that the officer in critical condition was on duty at the time of the shooting.

-By SALLY HO and REGINA GARCIA CANO , Associated Press

HELENA – A Lewis and Clark County Detention Officer resigned after being charged with a felony.

Carl Anthony Clary is charged with felony criminal endangerment and misdemeanor DUI.

Charging documents said Clary was traveling northbound with a passenger on Interstate 15 on Sunday, Sept. 3 when his motorcycle sideswiped a concrete barrier on the highway.

Charging documents also said Clary had turned to ask his rider if his hat was still on when she called out, “Wall!”

MHP Troopers said the collision caused the passenger to fall off the motorcycle and onto the pavement.

Investigators say Clary over-corrected to the right, causing the motorcycle to land in the ditch on the side of the road.

According to court documents, Clary’s passenger received severe injuries to her left knee, lower leg, broken fingers and serious skin abrasions on both sides of her body.

Neither Clary or his rider were wearing helmets.

Clary allegedly told troopers he had been drinking at his home that day. He was riding to Great Falls when he and a jail co-worker, Keith Greaney stopped at the Oasis bar in Wolf Creek for drinks.

After the crash, Greaney allegedly let Clary borrow his’ cell phone to call 911. Greaney then allegedly left the scene of the crash.

MHP Troopers said the smell of alcohol on Clary was “overwhelming” at the scene of the crash.

His blood alcohol level, taken later that night at the hospital, was .155, nearly twice the legal limit.

Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said Clary has resigned from his position at the jail, where he’d worked for more than two years.

Greaney, who has worked at the jail for five years, is facing two misdemeanors (2nd offense aggravated DUI and obstructing a peace officer), is on administrative leave pending the outcome of his case.

HELENA – A 37-year-old Washington state man is accused of exposing himself to a pair of female teenagers.

Andrei Galynine is charged with two counts of felony indecent exposure to a minor.

The alleged incident took place on Friday at the Helena Target store.

Charging documents said Galynine followed two 15-year-old females around the store. The teens told investigators they were in the shoe section of the store when they noticed.

Galynine allegedly stared and leered at them and stood closer to them than a stranger normally would. One of the teens said Galynine had his pants unzipped as he stroked his hand back and forth at his crotch.

The girls fled the store and called for help.

Galynine told investigators he was “turned on” by the girls and had gotten closer to them than he should have, but he denied exposing himself.

If convicted, Galynine faces a maximum of ten years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

His bond has been set at $25,000. He’ll be arraigned in district court Oct. 18.

HELENA – The second of two suspects allegedly involved in a burglary and shooting on Little Wolf Creek Road north of Helena is on trial this week.

Jory Strizich is accused of breaking into a cabin on Dec. 28 with Kaleb Daniels.

The owner of the cabin, preparing for a holiday stay, arrived at the residence to find Strizich and Daniels inside the structure.

As Strizich allegedly began to approach the cabin owner, the owner fired two warning shots. Prosecutors say Strizich “stepped into” the second shot, knocking Strizich to the ground.

Daniels and the cabin owner then exchanged gunfire before both suspects fled the area. They were both captured a few hours later.

In an opening statement Monday, Deputy County Attorney Jeff Sealey recounted the events of that day in detail, telling jurors that the witnesses and the evidence, including DNA and photographs from a game camera, will prove that Strizich was there that day and prepared for the break-in, armed with bolt cutters and three handguns.

Defense attorney Bryan Norcross declined to give an opening statement.

Strizich has been charged with aggravated burglary, burglary, tampering with evidence and possession of dangerous drugs, meth.

His trial is expected to last the rest of this week.

Daniels was convicted earlier this year of attempted deliberate homicide and sentenced to 120 years in prison.

GREAT FALLS – Dakota Whetham of Great Falls is among the survivors of the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history.

A man perched on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas casino opened fire on an outdoor country music festival below, killing 59 people and leaving more than 500 people injured as thousands of frantic concert-goers screamed and ran for their lives.

Whetham’s return flight from Las Vegas landed at the Great Falls International Airport landed at around 7:30 p.m. She was greeted by family members.

Her mother Stacey was on the phone with Dakota when the shooting began.

Stacey recalled, “She said, ‘Mom they’re shooting people,’ and I said, ‘What? Get to cover!’ and she goes, ‘They’re shooting people mom!’ and I said, ‘Dakota get to cover and call me when you’re safe.’ She says she can’t get the images out of her head. She said she saw somebody shot in the head right next to her, so that’s something she’s not going to be able to forget.”

Dakota was in Las Vegas to celebrate a friend’s bachelorette party and it was the second year in a row she attended the music festival.

Whetham said that when the shooting began, she and her group of about 15 friends initially thought it was fireworks.

She said she was in shock at first, but when she saw a man get shot in the head and then several other people drop around her – that’s when her adrenaline and survival mode kicked in.

Dakota said, “We saw these people and we wanted to help them, but we knew if we stopped we’d be right next to them and we felt awful about that but we just put it in our minds, get out, save your life, and that’s just all you gotta do.”

Dakota told MTN that her group of friends broke down a barrier to escape. After they got out of the festival venue, she said they ran more than a mile in just a few minutes.

The gunman was found dead at the scene and has been identified as Stephen Paddock. Investigators are still trying to discern Paddock’s motive.

Authorities found 16 rifles and one handgun in Paddock’s hotel suite. They found 18 additional firearms, explosives, and several thousand rounds of ammunition in his home.

Officials said Paddock shot and killed himself before a SWAT team breached the door.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An environmental activist who targeted an oil pipeline in North Dakota a year ago as part of a broader four-state effort to draw attention to climate change is due to stand trial along with the man who filmed his deeds.

Michael Foster’s trial starts Monday in Pembina County. He is among the first in that group of activists to go to trial, following a man in Washington state who was convicted of a burglary charge and served just two days in jail.

Here’s a look at Foster’s case, an update on others and an examination of the defense Foster and other activists hope to use: that their lawbreaking was in the public’s interest.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST FALL?

On Oct. 11, 2016, 11 activists with the group Climate Direct Action were arrested when they tried to shut down pipelines in North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Washington state. They did it to protest fossil fuels and as a show of support for people demonstrating against the Dakota Access pipeline, which was still under construction.

The activists broke into private property and turned shutoff valves on five pipelines operated by Enbridge, Spectra Energy, Kinder Morgan and TransCanada that move oil from Canada to the U.S.

The protesters warned pipeline company officials about their intent ahead of time. Company officials said pipelines at four of the sites were temporarily shut down before the protesters could reach the valves. The pipeline in Washington wasn’t operating at the time of the attempt.

WHERE DO THE COURT CASES STAND?

The first activist to stand trial, Ken Ward, was convicted of burglary in Washington in June. Jurors deadlocked on a sabotage count. Ward was sentenced to the two days he had already spent behind bars, plus community supervision and community service. Prosecutors earlier dropped charges against filmmakers Lindsey Grayzel and Carl Davis, who recorded Ward’s pipeline protest.

In North Dakota, Foster faces various felony and misdemeanor charges, including criminal mischief, conspiracy, reckless endangerment and criminal trespass. Samuel Jessup, who filmed Foster’s protest, will also stand trial.

Criminal cases involving similar charges are pending against activists Leonard Higgins and Reed Ingalls in Montana, and against Emily Johnston, Annette Klapstein, Steve Liptay and Ben Joldersma in Minnesota.

HOW MIGHT THE NORTH DAKOTA CASE PLAY OUT?

There’s no question about what Foster did. The mental health counselor from Seattle surrendered peacefully to authorities on the day of his protest and doesn’t deny using a bolt cutter to get through a chain link fence so he could turn the pipeline’s shutoff valve. He said he did it to make a more forceful statement.

“Not just another parade or a hearing or a petition,” he said.

Still, Foster has pleaded not guilty, as has Jessup, of Burlington, Vermont.

If convicted, Foster could face more than 20 years in prison and could be fined more than $40,000. Jessup would face a maximum sentence of about half that.

HOW CAN FOSTER DEFEND HIMSELF?

Foster is hoping to use a legal tactic known as the necessity defense — justifying a crime by arguing that it prevented a greater harm from happening.

“I’m going into this to challenge the jury to use their conscience to consider my act of conscience,” he said.

The necessity defense is popular among environmental activists. The Climate Defense Project even offers an educational guide on what it calls an area of the law that is “developing rapidly.”

However, whether the defense is permitted by law varies from state to state, and in some states including North Dakota it’s unclear whether there’s a statutory basis, according to University of Mississippi law professor Michael Hoffheimer.

“It’s not the most common defense, but it gets raised in high-profile controversial cases where political activists are seeking to challenge the law,” he said. “Activists in these cases really want to have an opportunity in the legal system to show the crime they’re charged with is prohibiting conduct that’s not as bad as the harm they’re trying to avoid.”

Other suspects in the October pipeline shutdown effort also have turned to the necessity defense.

The judge overseeing Ward’s trial wouldn’t permit it, though he did allow Ward to tell jurors about what motivated his actions. Ward said after his conviction that “I’m leaving this trial heartened, knowing that we are bringing these arguments into the jury system.”

A decision is pending on whether the necessity defense will be allowed in the Minnesota cases. In the Montana case, Judge Daniel Boucher denied the necessity defense, saying Higgins wanted to attract publicity and was trying to “place U.S. energy policy on trial.”

Assistant North Dakota Attorney General Jon Byers has asked state District Judge Laurie Fontaine not to allow the necessity defense in the Pembina County trial.

“Although the defendants may testify what was going through their mind at the time they took the actions they did, the court should prohibit any other presentation of a climate necessity defense or the attempt to turn this into a trial on global warming,” Byers wrote.

HELENA – A Helena suspect faces as many as four life in prison sentences for sexual assault and sex without consent with a teenage girl.

John Wesley Buchanan was seen via video in Lewis and Clark Justice Court Tuesday.

Prosecutors said between January 2015 and September 2017, 47-year-old Buchanan had repeated sexual contact with a female beginning when she was approximately 14 years old.

The victim said the incidents began when she was in middle school.

Buchanan’s defense attorney told Justice of the Peace Mike Swingley that his client denies all the allegations.

Buchanan’s lawyer asked for a lowered bond, since his client has Stage 3 cancer.

Swingley set bond at $100,000 and asked the defense to provide proof of medical treatment.

The charges in the case include felony sexual assault and three counts of felony sexual intercourse without consent. All four charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

HELENA – Local law enforcement officers have identified the suspect involved in a high-speed chase that ended on North Montana Avenue Monday.

Carlyn Sue Lewis has been detained in the county jail pending a justice court initial appearance.

Officers said it appears as though Lewis was trying to drive a pickup truck into the front doors of Capital High School Monday morning by driving through the school parking lot at a high rate of speed.

One school official told law officers he “braced for impact” when he saw the truck driving toward the front doors of the school.

Lewis then allegedly led officers on a chase from the school through the north valley. Speeds reached between 80 to 90 mph, often on the wrong side of the road.

At one point during the chase, law enforcement tried to stop the truck Lewis was driving with spike strips. Lewis drove through them, into a field and then back onto pavement, traveling south on North Montana.

She was eventually stopped when an MHP Trooper forced her truck into a power pole on the 5500 block of North Montana.

Lewis then allegedly ignored numerous verbal commands from law enforcement to exit the vehicle. A Helena Police officer had to smash the truck’s windshield with a baton to get Lewis out of the vehicle.

Once pulled from the truck, officers said they found a fresh injection mark on Lewis’ arm.

She told investigators she had been kidnapped by the truck and she was not the driver.

Officers are recommending a series of charges against the 44-year-old, including criminal endangerment, reckless driving, DUI and obstructing a peace officer.

BILLINGS – A Billings man will spend the next eight decades in prison for the murder of a Glasgow woman whose body was found on the side of the road.

Jay Witkowski, admitted to the gruesome New Year’s Eve murder of Evelynn Garcia who was stabbed and run over with a vehicle.

Witkowski, 29 years old, was sentenced Monday in Valley County District Court, according to the prosecutor.

Valley County Attorney Dylan Jensen said Witkowski was sentenced to 70 years at the Montana State Prison for the murder of Evelynn Garcia. The judge ordered an additional 10 years behind bars for the use of a dangerous weapon during the offense.

Jensen said the hearing took nearly four hours as the court was presented evidence of the assault.

Garcia was found laying in the road in Glasgow on New Year’s Eve. She had been stabbed, beaten, and run over with a vehicle.

The passerby who found the victim contacted authorities, who later determined Witkowski had assault Garcia.

Witkowski told authorities an elaborate story about how he and Garcia were driving together and came under attack while they were stopped at a train.

But detectives learned through viewing surveillance footage that no attack ever occurred.

Witkowski admitted to authorities he had used meth prior to the assault.

Division of Criminal Investigation Agents Anthony Poppler and Bruce McDermott testified about how the blood spatter pattern in the vehicle meant Garcia was stabbed while she was in the passenger seat.

Blood on the tire iron used by Witkowski showed the victim was beaten after she was stabbed, according to the agents, and that assault appears to have occurred by the read passenger-side wheel.

The victim was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead three days later.

Jensen said Witkowski’s mother testified that she could only make sense of his behavior due to the fact that he was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time.

Witkowski is still facing a multitude of felony charges related to a violent jail break attempt just one month prior to his sentencing.

Witkowski and another inmate allegedly attacked a female jail guard in an attempt to break out of the prison.

The inmates could not get through the outside gates and were eventually caught and subdued.

MTN’s Aja Goare

MISSOULA – The two suspects of a gruesome August murder on Strand Avenue in Missoula  pleaded not guilty during separate court appearances on Wednesday.

Augustus Standingrock, 26, and Tiffanie Pierce, 23 appeared in Missoula County District Court before Judge James Wheelis on Wednesday.

Prosecutors said Standingrock had been “violent” while in custody.

The bodies of Marilyn Pickett, 15, and Jackson Wiles,24, were found Aug. 17 when police arrived at a home with a search warrant in connection with a reported “home invasion burglary/stabbing” that occurred on July 23.

Police said the bodies had been placed into plastic tubs filled with chemicals.

The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office reported at the time that the initial investigation indicated that Pickett and Wiles died from stab wounds.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — FBI agents questioned the Las Vegas gunman’s girlfriend on Wednesday as they struggled to get inside the mind of Stephen Paddock, a frustratingly opaque figure who carried out his high-rise massacre without leaving the plain-sight clues often found after major acts of bloodshed.

Three days after Paddock gunned down 59 people, Marilou Danley was interviewed at the FBI’s office in Los Angeles and had her attorney with her, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Danley, 62, who has been called a “person of interest” by investigators, was met by federal agents Tuesday night when she arrived at the Los Angeles airport from her native Philippines after more than two weeks abroad.

Investigators are busy reconstructing Paddock’s life, behavior and the people he encountered in the weeks leading up to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said. That includes examining his computer and cellphone.

But as of Wednesday, investigators were unable to explain what led Paddock to rain heavy fire down on a country music festival Sunday night from the windows of his 32nd-floor room at the Mandalay Bay hotel casino. More than 500 people were injured.

“This individual and this attack didn’t leave the sort of immediately accessible thumbprints that you find on some mass casualty attacks,” McCabe said.

The 64-year-old retired accountant quietly stockpiled an arsenal of high-powered weapons while pursuing a passion for high-stakes gambling at Nevada casinos, where his game of choice was video poker, a relatively solitary pursuit, with no dealer and no humans to play against.

Neighbors described Paddock as friendly, but he wasn’t close to them.

“He was a private guy. That’s why you can’t find out anything about him,” his brother, Eric Paddock, said from his home in Florida. As for what triggered the massacre, the brother said: “Something happened that drove him into the pit of hell.”

Occasionally, Paddock shared news of his gambling winnings, his brother said, recalling a photo text message he received showing a $40,000 payout.

It was in a casino where Paddock met his girlfriend, who was a high-limit hostess for Club Paradise at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Eric Paddock said.

“They were adorable — big man, tiny woman. He loved her. He doted on her,” he said.

Danley’s sisters in Australia said that they believe she was unaware of Paddock’s murderous plans and that he sent her away so she wouldn’t interfere.

In a TV interview in Australia, the sisters — whose faces were obscured and their names withheld — called Danley “a good person” who would have stopped Paddock had she been there.

“She didn’t even know that she was going to the Philippines until Steve said, ‘Marilou, I found you a cheap ticket to the Philippines,'” said one of the sisters, who live near Brisbane.

A receptionist at the office of Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney Matthew Lombard confirmed he was representing Danley but would not comment further.

Paddock wired $100,000 to the Philippines days before the shooting, a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly because of the continuing investigation said on condition of anonymity.

Investigators are trying to trace that money and are also looking into a dozen financial reports filed in recent weeks when Paddock bought more than $10,000 in casino chips.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump met privately with victims of the shooting at a Las Vegas hospital Wednesday.

“It’s a very sad thing. We are going to pay our respects and to see the police who have done really a fantastic job in a very short time,” Trump said before leaving the White House. He said authorities were “learning a lot more” about the gunman.

Paddock had no known criminal history. Public records contained no indication of any financial problems, and his brother described him as a wealthy real estate investor.

He had stockpiled 47 guns since 1982 and bought 33 of them, mostly rifles, over the past year alone, right up until three days before the attack, Jill Snyder, an agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told CBS on Wednesday.

AP writers: Ken Ritter and Brian Melley 

Melley reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Jim Gomez and Teresa Cerojano in Manila, Philippines; Michael Balsamo, Brian Skoloff, Regina Garcia Cano and Sally Ho in Las Vegas; Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles; and Eric Tucker, Sadie Gurman and Tami Abdollah in Washington contributed to this report.

HELENA – A Helena man is accused of attacking Helena Police officers following his arrest for DUI.

John George Martin is charged with two counts of felony assault, along with resisting arrest and first offense DUI.

HPD was called to the McDonald’s on North Montana Tuesday night to a report of an intoxicated individual behind the wheel of a truck.

Charging documents said after making contact with officers, Martin provided a breath sample that registered a blood alcohol content of 0.160, twice the legal limit.

After the 44-year-old was placed in handcuffs, Martin allegedly resisted officers who then had to place Martin on the ground.

“I’ll come find you later,” Martin allegedly said along with “I’ll rip your head off.”

Martin also alledgedly kicked two officers and head-butted another officer.

Bond in his case is set at $25,000.

He’ll be arraigned later this month.

CROW AGENCY – A suspect has been detained in connection with the vandalism of a water treatment plant in Crow Agency, a tribal official said Wednesday night.

“As far as I know and without going too much into detail about the case itself, (the Bureau of Indian Affairs) had given a confirmation that a suspect had been picked up and detained,” Jered Steward, media liaison for Crow Tribal Chairman A.J. Not Afraid, said.

The suspect is in BIA custody, Stewart said.

“It’s basically a state of emergency called by Chairman Not Afraid. And the Governor is aware and a lot of the state officials that might be involved are aware for our area,” Stewart said.

———————————————————————

CROW AGENCY – The Crow Tribe issued a drinking water warning after vandalism at a treatment plant Wednesday morning.

The Tribe has advised citizens to not drink the water and not use it for showering or bathing. Boiling the water won’t make it safe, officials said.

The water can be used for flushing toilets.

The warning affects between 2,000 to 2,500 people in Crow Agency.

One of the Crow Agency water treatment plans was vandalized between midnight and 8 a.m., according to Jared Stewart, media liaison for Crow Tribal Chairman A.J. Not Afraid.

Stewart said he believes the suspect was a tribal employee who was recently furloughed because of budget cuts and was upset at tribal leaders. He also called the vandalism “an act of terrorism.” The Tribe has stepped up security, Stewart said.

“Due to the recent furloughs, it is somewhat disappointing, but I don’t think it should’ve resulted in what might actually be considered an act of terrorism to the rest of the community. because at some point, the branches of the government would have ultimately reached an agreement on the tribal finances and gotten people back to work and that’s basically what we were waiting on,” Stewart said.

Stewart said chlorine canisters were damaged and it is not known if the chlorine was poured into the treatment plant or into the Little Big Horn River. Some of the equipment is damaged and unusable, Tribal officials said.

It is also advised not to drink or use the water in the river. Stewart said the tribe does not know what the effects are down river.

The Tribe will bring in bottled drinking water.

Not Afraid shut down tribal government Sunday, leaving only essential personnel on duty. He said the tribe’s legislative and executive branches failed to come About 10 to 15 percent, or 50 to 75 people, are currently working for the tribe, out of a total to 500 to 650 employees, Stewart said.

He added that updates will be posted on the Crow Tribe website http://www.crow-nsn.gov/ or its Facebook page.

MTN’s David Jay 

BILLINGS – The man accused of helping his female relative dispose of her boyfriend’s body after he was beaten, dismembered and decapitated at a Billings apartment in 2015 has pleaded guilty to the crime.

Patrick Standsoverbull, 36, pleaded guilty Monday in Yellowstone County District Court to two felony counts of tampering with evidence and one misdemeanor count of assault in connection with the murder of Jeffrey Hewitt, 41.

Standsoverbull admitted he helped Carri Standsoverbull dispose of evidence, including human remains, on the Crow Indian Reservation.

Carri, 40, was originally charged with deliberate homicide for the murder of her boyfriend, Hewitt, but she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of negligent homicide in July.

She also pleaded guilty to one count of assault and one count of tampering with evidence. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 60 years to the Montana Women’s Prison with 20 years suspended.

Hewitt’s remains were found in a burn pit in Pryor.

Investigators were able to identify the victim by a tattoo on a piece of his neck that was not burned.

The two defendants both admitted they assaulted the victim and were involved in the destruction of the victim’s body after his death.

Through interviews with people at the Ponderosa Apartments, where Carri was living at the time, detectives learned the victim had been severely beaten at his home by multiple people.

Hewitt was left bedridden until he eventually died, about one month prior to the discovery of his remains.

Patrick told investigators that Carri asked him and another man to help dispose of the body.

Patrick assisted in dismembering the victim with an ax and chainsaw, according to court documents.

He told authorities Carri wrapped the victim’s head in a tarp and threw it somewhere down the road in Big Horn County.

Patrick told authorities that Carri was the one who ultimately caused Hewitt’s death and said his murder was “misery, horrible, painful.”

Carri initially denied her involvement but later claimed she assaulted Hewitt because he had harmed her and her children.

Patrick was initially charged with felony aggravated assault, but the charge was decreased to a misdemeanor in exchange for his guilty plea.

According to the plea agreement filed in Patrick’s case, prosecutors will recommend a “lawful sentence,” but they did not provide a range.

A sentencing date has yet to be set for Patrick.

Prosecutors said earlier they could pursue new or enhanced charges for Carri if more evidence surfaced ahead of her sentencing.

A sentencing date for Carri has yet to be set.

MTN’s Aja Goare 

FALLS – Joseph Knowles has pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide for the death of 18-year-old Megan Meriwether.

Knowles, 17, admitted in court Tuesday that on Sept. 23, 2016, he was planning to steal marijuana from Meriwether. During the incident, he said he caused the death of Meriwether.

According to the plea agreement, the state will recommend Knowles be sentenced to 60 years at Montana State Prison. Sentencing for Knowles has been scheduled for Dec. 19.

Court documents state that just after 11 p.m. police officers responded to a report of a disturbance near 10th Street South and 8th Alley South. A 911 caller reported several people outside yelling about a knife. The caller told dispatch that several people fled in a dark vehicle.

The caller told dispatch that she found a female victim – later identified as Meriwether – lying in the alley and not breathing. Police officers and medical personnel arrived at the scene and took Meriwether to Benefis Health System, where she was pronounced dead.

A witness to the event told investigating officers that he thought the fleeing vehicle noted by the 911 caller could have been that of his friend Joseph Knowles.

The witness told officers that he and Knowles had spoken at about 10 p.m., when Knowles had asked if he could park outside of the residence to sleep. The witness told officers that Knowles was with Brianna May Coombs, who was said to be Knowles’ girlfriend.

Court documents state that Knowles is known by Great Falls Police officers to be homeless and lives in his vehicle, often with Coombs. The witness then called Knowles, and Knowles reportedly said, “It was me,” and that he was scared.

According to court documents, Knowles told the witness that he was in a fight with a girl over a marijuana purchase in the alley. Knowles told the witness Coombs was there to buy marijuana, but did not have enough money to pay for it.

Meriwether followed Coombs to the vehicle and allegedly stabbed her in the leg. Knowles jumped out of the car and pushed Meriwether to the ground. Court documents state that “…during that process (Knowles) was holding the victim’s arm.” Knowles said that the victim got stabbed in the chest with her own knife.

At that point in the phone conversation between the witness and Knowles, according to court documents, the witness told Knowles that Meriwether had died. The witness said that he heard Coombs scream in the background of the phone call at that point. The witness told Knowles that he needed to turn himself in and ask for an attorney.

Knowles replied that he was scared and wanted to run, and then ended the phone call.

About 30 minutes later, Knowles called the witness and said that he did not know what to do; the witness again urged Knowles to turn himself in and said that running away was not the right decision.

Police officers then attempted to talk with Knowles and get him to come to the police department; Knowles eventually agreed.

Officers were able to track the vehicle that Knowles and Coombs were in and realized that they were driving away from Great Falls, according to court documents.

Knowles and Coombs were eventually found at the Ramble Inn west of Great Falls near the junction of Highway 200 and Highway 89; they were then taken to the Great Falls Police Department for questioning.

Knowles and Coombs were also accompanied by a juvenile male, whose name is not disclosed in court documents. The young male told police that he and the two suspects were driving around on Friday night and that they went to an area near Longfellow Elementary School to meet someone.

The juvenile told police that Coombs got out of the vehicle and left, and when she returned, she was followed by Meriwether. The juvenile said that Meriwether said something to the effect of “not this time” to Coombs and attempted to get in the vehicle, but Coombs tried to close the door.

Court documents then state: “An altercation ensued in which the victim, Meriwether, hung on to the outside of the open door of the vehicle while attempting to fight with Brianna. Joseph Knowles was driving the vehicle. Joseph drove the vehicle approximately 1.5 blocks before stopping the vehicle and the altercation continued. The juvenile male claimed that Meriwether had stabbed Brianna in the leg with a knife and that a struggle ensued over the knife. He said the knife was taken by Joseph and that it was left in the vehicle.”

Police officers then searched the site where Meriwether was found and found several pieces of evidence. Court documents noted that there were obvious signs of a struggle, as Meriwether was found with one shoe on and one off.

Meriwether also had a handful of hair in her hand at the hospital which appeared to be consistent with the hair of Coombs. When Meriwether’s body was found, it was “covered in marijuana” and a significant amount of marijuana was found in the alley where her body was found.

Coombs is also facing charges in connection with Meriwether’s death. Her charges include robbery, tampering with evidence and solicitation to commit distribution of dangerous drugs.

GREAT FALLS – The Great Falls Police Department has released surveillance photos of the suspect in a stabbing.

On Sept. 25, at about 1 p.m., a man was stabbed in the alley behind Park Manor where he resides.

When the victim went out of the back of the building, according to the GFPD, he was confronted by a large man wearing a navy blue sweatshirt, maroon sweatpants, white sneakers, red ball cap and sunglasses.

The suspect allegedly stabbed the victim and fled the scene on a bicycle heading east.

The GFPD said they have been unable to identify the suspect in the brutal assault and asked anyone with information to call Detective Perkins at 406-781-8920. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Authorities have not provided an update on the condition of the man who was stabbed, but we have been told that the injuries were not life-threatening.

MTN’s David Sherman 

BOZEMAN – A former Montana State University instructor has been charged with embezzlement.

Steven Jenkins, a former instructor at MSU’s Western Transportation Institute, is charged with embezzling more than $21,500 from the school.

Reports were first made to the MSU Police Department back in May of 2016, when an employee noticed Jenkins had taught around 18 unauthorized classes, using MSU time and money.

Jenkins allegedly did not give MSU any of the revenue for those classes, which were taught in 2014.

Police also discovered that Jenkins had reportedly misused grant money, resulting in losses of money and property to the university.

Jenkins will appear in court on the felony charges on Nov. 29.

MTN’s Kaitlin Corbett

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Investigators are looking into whether gunman Stephen Paddock scoped out bigger music festivals in Las Vegas and Chicago — and perhaps Boston’s Fenway Park — before setting up his perch in a casino hotel and raining deadly fire on country music fans.

Paddock booked rooms overlooking the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago in August and the Life Is Beautiful show near the Vegas Strip in late September, according to authorities reconstructing his movements before he undertook the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

It was not clear if he contemplated massacres at those sites.

Investigators looking into Paddock also came across mention of Fenway Park, Boston police Lt. Detective Mike McCarthy said, though he provided no further details.

The details came to light as investigators struggled to figure out why the high-stakes gambler opened fire on a crowd of 22,000 Sunday night from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel casino in Las Vegas. He killed 58 people and injured nearly 500 before taking his own life.

A federal official said authorities are looking into the possibility Paddock planned additional attacks, including a car bombing. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Authorities previously disclosed Paddock had 1,600 rounds of ammunition in his car, along with fertilizer that can be used to make explosives and 50 pounds of Tannerite, a substance used in explosive rifle targets.

Paddock had an arsenal of 23 weapons in his hotel room. A dozen of them included “bump stocks,” attachments that can effectively convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automated weapons.

In a rare concession on gun control, the National Rifle Association announced its support Thursday for regulating the devices.

Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, told FBI agents Wednesday she had not noticed any changes in his mental state or indications he could become violent, the federal official said.

Paddock sent Danley on a trip to her native Philippines before the attack, and she was unaware of his plans and devastated when she learned of the carnage while overseas, she said in a statement.

Investigators combing through his background for clues remain stumped as to his motive.

The profile developed so far is of a “disturbed and dangerous” man who acquired an arsenal over decades, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said. But investigators have been frustrated to find that he lived a “secret life,” Lombardo said, “much of which will never be fully understood.”

A former executive casino host at the Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa in Reno said Paddock had a “god complex” and expected quick service without regard to how busy the staff was at the time.

“He liked everybody to think that he was the guy,” John Weinreich said. “He didn’t boast about anything he had or anything. It was just his demeanor. It was like, ‘I’m here. Don’t cross me. Don’t look at me too long.’ ”

The weekend before the massacre, he rented a room through Airbnb at the 21-story Ogden condominiums in downtown Las Vegas and stayed there during a music festival below that included Chance the Rapper, Muse, Lorde and Blink-182.

“Reasons that ran through Paddock’s mind is unknown, but it was directly at the same time as Life Is Beautiful,” the sheriff said.

Police were reviewing video shot at the high-rise to check Paddock’s movements. His renting the condo was curious because, as a high-roller, he could have easily gotten a free room at one of the casino hotels on the Vegas Strip.

In early August, Paddock booked a room at Chicago’s 21-story Blackstone Hotel that overlooked the park where the Lollapalooza alternative music festival was being held, though there’s no evidence he actually stayed there, a law enforcement official said Thursday.

The official was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity after being briefed on the investigation.

The hotel confirmed a Stephen Paddock made a reservation but said he never checked in.

Lollapalooza draws hundreds of thousands of music fans every year to Grant Park.

Although Paddock killed himself as a SWAT team closed in, the sheriff said it appeared he had planned to survive and had an escape plan. Lombardo would not elaborate on the plan.

The coroner’s office in Las Vegas would not release details of its autopsy on Paddock. Some behavioral experts have wondered whether he suffered from some kind of brain abnormality or had a terminal illness that prompted him to lash out.

AP writers: Michael Balsamo and Brian Melley 

Melley reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Don Babwin and Michael Tarm in Chicago; Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston; Jonathan J. Cooper in Reno; Ken Ritter in Las Vegas; and Sadie Gurman and Erica Werner in Washington contributed to this report.

LAUREL – The student who brought a gun to the Laurel Middle School campus on Tuesday afternoon later pointed the weapon at several others students off school grounds, according to the Laurel School Resource Officer on Thursday.

The student who had possession of the weapon is a student at Laurel Middle School, according to Officer Michael Clark.

Clark would not release details about the student’s age or name.

A letter sent to parents by Superintendent Linda Filpula on Wednesday indicated that the weapon had been on school property after school hours, around 4 p.m.

Clark said the student later pointed the weapon at several students off school property.

It’s still unclear whether the weapon was loaded when it was pointed at the children, according to Clark, but he said a magazine was in the vicinity of the weapon.

No injuries were reported.

School was still in session Thursday and no suspects have been arrested.

“The safety of our students is of the utmost importance to us, as we know it is to you, too.,” said Filpula in the letter to parents. “We appreciate your concern for all of our students. We are unable to provide any additional information due to the ongoing investigations by school administration and law enforcement.”

The investigation is ongoing.

MTN’s Aja Goare